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Well it took a couple days and a bunch of man hours but its done. This is the prototype for two more that will be indentical. They will be housing my Olive python breeders.

It made of 1/2" Plywood (nice on one side). Its 6'x2'x2' and has front sliding glass doors. Its heated via overheat incandesent dual 50 watt bulbs during the day (on timer) as well as a complementing 24" heat mat on a Herp Power proport. Its inclosed in a screened off 7"x19" heat box with removable galvenized screen for the snakes protection.

The whole thing is painted with non toxic acrylic enamel paint and the corners are caulked with paintable black caulk. The glass is 1/4" and has polished edges (this was the most exp part). Total cage cost around $140 give or take some bits and tools I needed to refresh.

Let me know what ya think.

TT

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Reptile-Pit.com

1.1 Woma Pythons
2.1 Olive Pythons
1.1 Granite Burmese Pythons
1.0 Indian Python
1.1 Eastern Indigos (waiting for hatchlings)
0.1 Ball Python (donation / rehab snake)

I love Olive Pythons but have never kept them. I like them in similar way to White Lipped Pythons - a species I have kept.

The cage looks great. Very quick from conception to completion based on your posts here. Wish I could say the same for my stuff.

Many questions:

1) Are those suction cups for door pulls? I may have to steal that idea.

2) Is the cage divided in two or is the center piece simply left for support? If the latter, I have had good luck with using a strip of extra plywood mounted behind the upper and lower lips. This allows for full sliding doors if that matters to you.

3) Is the door cut from one solid piece of plywood or did you assemble it from individual pieces? If the latter, how did you attach them?

4) I assume you used AC plywood. What was the cost and quality in your area? I've noticed an increase in the cost of AC plywood and the sheets are warped, especially the 1/2".

4) Did you have all the pieces cut and Lowes? If so, did they do a good job? I have had mixed results using Home Depot. Typically I have the pieces cut slightly oversize and square them up with my circular saw once I get home. I can't fit a full sheet in my vehicle so I pretty much have to have the material cut down a bit.

Thanks guys and gals for the compliments. Here are some answers to Chris' questions:

1) Are those suction cups for door pulls? I may have to steal that idea.

*** Yup, they sure are suction cups. They work very nice and are dirt cheap.

2) Is the cage divided in two or is the center piece simply left for support? If the latter, I have had good luck with using a strip of extra plywood mounted behind the upper and lower lips. This allows for full sliding doors if that matters to you.

*** It is one full 6 foot cage, no divisions. The center piece is for support. I may use your idea on the next cage and do one big door on the front. I did it that way because my original plan was to line the bottom with plastic or vinyl and figured one open square would of been easier to do.

3) Is the door cut from one solid piece of plywood or did you assemble it from individual pieces? If the latter, how did you attach them?

*** Individual Pine boards all attached from screws through the plywood from the outside.

4) I assume you used AC plywood. What was the cost and quality in your area? I've noticed an increase in the cost of AC plywood and the sheets are warped, especially the 1/2".

*** The wood in this area is decent. They were a tiny bit warped but pulled together nicely once all screwed together.

5) Did you have all the pieces cut and Lowes? If so, did they do a good job? I have had mixed results using Home Depot. Typically I have the pieces cut slightly oversize and square them up with my circular saw once I get home. I can't fit a full sheet in my vehicle so I pretty much have to have the material cut down a bit.

*** Yes Lowes cut the plywood for me. They were a bit off and I had to make some small cuts in the begining. They were not too bad though. I can't fit full sheets in my mini van either so either way its very helpful.

TT
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Reptile-Pit.com

1.1 Woma Pythons
2.1 Olive Pythons
1.1 Granite Burmese Pythons
1.0 Indian Python
1.1 Eastern Indigos (waiting for hatchlings)
0.1 Ball Python (donation / rehab snake)

That is a very nice enclosure!! Very well done.

A tad off topic but you guys mentioned that Lowe's and/or HD can't cut to save their lives. I agree 100%! How hard is it to cut a piece of wood? lol

Last week I went to Home Depot and wanted one 8' piece of 2x3 to be cut into 4 equal parts (2' per). Easy, right? No way! Two pieces were cut correctly, but the other 2 were off by 1/2 and 1/4 inches respectively.

I don't have room for a saw at home, so these places are my only hope. How can one build anything correctly if the measurements aren't dead-on 100% accurate? As a consumer, can I keep making them cut and cut and cut until they are to my EXACT specificiations? I really don't think that's too much to ask.

For you saw-less guys, how do you cope with the inaccuracies of these chain hardware stores?

Well I'm not sawless but I do have some opinions on the subject.

First, regarding your experience, you need to account for the kerf of the blade. You should have asked for each piece at 22 & 7/8". But even then it does not account for the error in the cuts you requested.

What I find ridiculous is that the millwork guys are not allowed to clamp a piece of stock to the radial arm or panel saw to insure that any two pieces are cut to identical size. I'm guess this is where the error with your pieces came from.

In general I do not recommend Home Depot or Lowes if one needs accurate cuts. To be fair to them they post signs saying they are not allowed to insure this.

In the past when I was sawless or pressed for time I always went to a specialty lumber yard or a cabinet shop to have cuts done. They have always done an excellent job. As an added bonus they typically carried higher quality lumber than the large Home Improvement Stores.

So you might look in the yellow pages and call around and see if someone can do these cuts for you.

I'm fairly constructionally challenged, so bad cuts make it that much harder for me. Like you said, if all 4 pieces were at least identical, then that wouldn't have been much of a big deal.

Whenever I go to the big chain stores there are always folks lined up to get something cut. Rhetorical question: How can you expect to build anything, be it an enclosure, chair, table if ALL of the cuts are off? I can't imagine that any of those people got anywhere near accurate measurements.

There is an 84-lumber close to me and they are pretty hardcore. As a kid (pre-Lowes/HD), my dad used to go there to buy wood for a deck he built. I'll swing by there and see if I can get some decent cutting done. Thanks a bunch for the recommendation.

This compnay really makes their money off contractor sales. I have asked at a couple of locations if they do any cutting and they said no.

A fine company but probably won't be able to help. Still worth asking, though.

I agree, They can't cut very well. So to get around the issue of angry consumers, the store I go to has put up a sign stating that they will NOT make precise cuts.

It does have to be considered though, that the KERF (AKA the amount of the material taken away by the saw (in other words the width of the saw blade)) will reduce the remaining material by that deminsion, multiplied by the number of cuts made...

hypothetical e.g.

4 cuts X 1/8" saw blade = 1/2" in lost material

This may explain why 2 of your cuts were correct, but not the others. Or maybe not

just my friendly .02
thanks for the time,
Scott

....If I would have just read the ENTIRE string, I would not have typed up a completely redundant post.

Sorry to waste everyone's time.

Scott

You scout out a smart employee that knows what he is doing (kinda age profiling). I made my second trip back to Lowes today to get the wood for the other two identical cages and came accross a great employee there. He even made a tiny mistake I wouldn't of noticed until I got home, but he pulled out a tape and checked it. Saw his mistake and scrapped it and cut me another to spot on perfection. Then he went over all pieces and pulled out my cut list and double checked. This is not the norm but I was impressed to say the least. I got his name and slipped him a tip.

The other two cages are now together with no fight or cutting and I will be painting them tomorrow.

So look around, most likely the young kid with the summer job that is trying to avoid you is not the guy to cut your wood.

TT
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Reptile-Pit.com

1.1 Woma Pythons
2.1 Olive Pythons
1.1 Granite Burmese Pythons
1.0 Indian Python
1.1 Eastern Indigos (waiting for hatchlings)
0.1 Ball Python (donation / rehab snake)

Definitely don't chose the younger kid who looks as if he is just there for the summer. I myself used to work at Lowe's in the lumber department. Many times I have had people want cuts to the 1/32" of an inch. This just cannot be done due to the amount of abuse these saws take in these stores. I, on occasion, have spent upwards of 2 hours JUST working on the saw. When you have that kind of customer demand, quality goes out the window and quantity comes into play. ESPECIALLY when you have people waiting who are impatient. However, I always tried to make my cuts as close as possible, but sometimes these saws have been abused so much that they do not cut square or have other problems. Just my $.02 in defense of Lowes. I have met and worked with those who just cut if they are within 1/4" of the request. I have nothing to say about these individuals other than they need to find a job they like, rather than messing up people's projects.

You know I have shopped at many lumberyards over the years including the ones you all have mentioned. The truth is I havn't heard anyone ever complain about the bad job they do when cutting wood. Nor did I realize that so many people use their services. I personally have never used their services, due to the fact that I am a carpenter, and have more saws then they have axcess to. I am also a hobbist, like your selves, that builds my own cages (might as well I have the tools). I however don't sell many cages do to their not being a demand. I only wish I lived in an area where my trade was better appriciated. I mean I can cut a piece of wood more true with a hand saw than some can do with a power saw. I only wish other hobbist's like your selves could have a friend like myself. That could just be available to cut the wood for you this thread would not be here. I am sorry you all have had such a bad experience with major home improvment stores. So to make me feel better for all the sorrow these stores have caused. I will make my services available anytime to cut the wood for free. You just have to live in North Dakota!
Good luck with all your projects.
And keep up the posts
Jeremy
Your Friendly Neigborhood Carpenter

I didn't mean to hijack the original posters thread, as they made a very handsome enclosure, but thanks to all who listened and replied.

And to Jeremy, I'll ship some wood to ND for cutting if you can ship it back to Maryland. lol I'll even pick up the shipping costs plus a little extra for your beer (or whatever your vice is) fund.

Keep up the great work, folks!

Wow, your cage is just BEAUTIFUL!!!! I am in the middle of making some cages myself that are similar, and I hope mine turn out that good!!!

Cant expect no Q's when ya build such a nice cage

1.what kind of lights did you put in there, like light bulbs, tube lights?
2. How many coats of pulyurethane?
3. What grade was the wood?
4. Where did you buy the sliding tracks for the plexiglass? How thick is the plexi glass?

Sup Brent, thanks for the compliment. Here are some answers to your questions...

1.what kind of lights did you put in there, like light bulbs, tube lights?

*** Lights consist of dual 50 Watt Incandescent Spot bulbs. My snake room has room lighting that is more than enough ambient light for pythons.

2. How many coats of pulyurethane?

*** I use Acrylic Enamel which coats and seals well enough for pythons. Yearly quick touch ups may be needed.

3. What grade was the wood?

*** Grade B I believe, 1/2" Nice on one side plywood.

4. Where did you buy the sliding tracks for the plexiglass? How thick is the plexi glass?

*** Well for the first cage I had extra track from some trashed Melamine cages I had. For the next two I will order it from a local glass suppler. I used 1/4" edge polished 100% plate glass for the doors.

Hope that helps, hit me up with any questions you may have...

TT
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Reptile-Pit.com

1.1 Woma Pythons
2.1 Olive Pythons
1.1 Granite Burmese Pythons
1.0 Indian Python
1.1 Eastern Indigos (waiting for hatchlings)
0.1 Ball Python (donation / rehab snake)

Oh ya, 1 more, what is the floor made out of?do you use a heating pad?